(AUSTIN) — Texans helped 60 schoolchildren get another step closer to a college education through the Match the Promise Foundation scholarship program, Texas Comptroller Susan Combs announced today. Combs established the Texas Match the Promise Foundation® to benefit deserving families in our state and encourage them to save for college.

“The scholarships are funded through the donations of generous Texans,” Combs said. “Many of the donations to the foundation are made through the state’s Unclaimed Property program. Residents who locate unclaimed property belonging to them can choose to donate all or a portion of the cash value to the foundation. Even a donation of a few dollars makes a big difference in the lives of young Texans.”

The foundation provides matching scholarships and tuition grants for participants in the Texas Tuition Promise Fund®, the state’s prepaid college tuition plan. The scholarships are open to students who meet eligibility guidelines. Students submit applications as well as essays about a career they find interesting, and the type of education they would need to succeed in it.

The Match the Promise Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, awards scholarships in the form of Promise Fund tuition units that can only be redeemed for payment of tuition and required fees at Texas public colleges and universities.

Sixty schoolchildren won a Matching Scholarship of tuition units worth up to $1,000 in the program’s 2012-2013 award cycle. The foundation will provide a two-to-one match for up to $500 of participant tuition unit purchases during the current Promise Fund sales period.

Twelve of the top-ranking applicants were also recognized with an additional scholarship – the Promise Scholarship, which is a one-time grant of tuition units worth $2,000 at today’s prices.

“I am pleased to say that 60 kids’ college and career dreams are one step close to reality thanks to the generosity of Texans,” said foundation Secretary Delane Caesar. “I hope the scholarships will help these students on the road toward the careers and the futures they are dreaming of.”

The foundation will accept applications for the next round of scholarships from Sept. 1, 2013, through the end of the year. To learn more about these scholarships, or to make your own contribution to the program, visit the foundation’s website at www.MatchThePromise.org.